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Quinn, a newly divorced ex-cop, retains custody of her wild hot flashes, her twisted tongue, her fey sense of humor, and her propensity for trouble. Now trying to get a foothold as a P.I. in a new city, Quinn takes what she thinks will be a safe job with Vincent Ainge, to whom she is oddly attracted. Vincent, who has his own demons, is the only mitigation investigator in the Northwest working to save the lives of convicted killers from ending at the gallows in Walla Walla state prison.
When a young secretary named Eileen vanishes, the woman's boss hires Quinn to track her down. What looks like a missing-person case turns out to be anything but, sucking into its wake Vincent, his demented father, Eileen's barely legitimate boss, her sexually vulnerable mother, a serial rapist and possible serial killer, and, of course, Quinn herself. Quinn's improvised investigation takes her to the dangerous dark corners of the human psyche and casts suspicion where she least expects it, which will ignite a burst of violence and a resolution that readers won't see coming.
"This book will delight anyone who has ever feared that the private detective novel has no new tricks--or voices--up its sleeve." --Laura Lippman, author of What the Dead Know "Anne Argula brings a welcome voice to the noir novel with Quinn, who is earthy, gritty, but above all, a mature woman. We don't have enough of those." --Sara Paretsky, author of Fire Sale
"A terrific, suspenseful tale of murder, driven by interesting and quirky characters, leavened by edgy self-deprecating humor, and resolved by a surprising twist." --Joseph Wambaugh, author of Hollywood Station
"A wonderful novel--smart, funny, and remarkably humane." --James Crumley, author of The Right Madness
"Anne Argula's menopausal detective will give mystery fans multiple hot flashes of horror, humor, and surprise." --Tom Robbins, author of Villa Incognito
What do you get when you mix together a mitigation investigator doggedly trying to stamp out the death penalty, an ex-cop fighting off constant hot flashes, a barely legitimate business owner who calls his employees Arnie's Angels, and a beautiful young woman in the prime of her youth? Answer: the basic ingredients to Anne Argula's excellent PI novel, Walla Walla Suite (A Room with No View).
The plot starts off as a simple missing person's case. Eileen, one of Arnie's Angels, goes missing, and Arnie hires Quinn, a fledgling private investigator, to track her down. But when Eileen turns up dead, the narrative really gets cooking, and the whole book morphs into a rather thoughtful and funny--funny ha-ha and funny sad--commentary on crime and punishment, capital punishment in particular. The only real "action" takes place in the last ten pages of the novel, so if you crave a lot of car chases and fistfights and gun play this isn't the book for you. However, there are two other factors that make this book more than worthy of a read.
Quinn, a newly-divorced ex-cop struggling to establish herself as a PI, is half of what makes Walla Walla Suite so enjoyable, so fresh. Tougher than a two-dollar steak, and every bit as sardonic as James Crumley's C.W. Sughrue, she is, by her own admission, a second or even third-rate investigator. But, ironically, this is also part of what I think makes her so dynamic as a character: she is real. Many detective characters are simply too heroic, too perfect, and Quinn is severely flawed, but in a good way. She is both sarcastic and self-effacing; she is indifferent and persistent, competent and bumbling. Not to mention she has some fantastically funny one-liners, mostly about hot flashes and the incurable human condition. Plus, in the end, she does manage to save the day, more or less, and the ending in no way feels forced or contrived. Best of all, the (tragic?) ending affects her not a wit, which I appreciate as it is realistic. Face it, many of us just never learn our lesson, no matter what the scenario, no matter what the outcome.
To the other half of what makes this a good novel: the setting. Full disclosure: I tend to fetishize what I consider cool and/or exotic locations, and Seattle, the setting of Walla Walla Suite, falls under that category. The descriptions of the dreary weather, the buildings and streets, the waterfronts: all of it is expertly rendered and adds a satisfying layer to the narrative. It made me want to visit the city, which is a testament to the author's abilities.
Bottom line, I find Quinn to be a welcome addition to the PI genre, and not just because she is a middle-aged woman. But because the character is a living, breathing being, one capable of great comedy and tragedy. Quinn, it seems, has a nose for trouble, and I, for one, would love to be around when she finds it. ( )
Seattle seems to be up and coming: G. M. Ford, J. A. Jance, Curt Colbert, and now Anne Argula. And Anne Argula is definitely a better writer than our most famous writer of Seattle-based mysteries, J. A. Jance. For one, Argula doesn’t stop to explain Seattle to non-natives every time something local comes up. Some times I feel like I’m reading a geography or culture lesson when reading Jance.
Argula's menopausal heroine stands out in a crowded field of gumshoes with her tough exterior hiding a soft heart. When the newly-divorced P.I. stumbles upon a case of a missing office girl, she has to use all her wiles to separate the smoke screens from the real clues. Her complicated relationship with a mitigation investigator, Vincent, adds more drama to a confusing case, especially when the case seems to be solved too easily. Shocking ending. ( )
Quinn, a newly divorced ex-cop, retains custody of her wild hot flashes, her twisted tongue, her fey sense of humor, and her propensity for trouble. Now trying to get a foothold as a P.I. in a new city, Quinn takes what she thinks will be a safe job with Vincent Ainge, to whom she is oddly attracted. Vincent, who has his own demons, is the only mitigation investigator in the Northwest working to save the lives of convicted killers from ending at the gallows in Walla Walla state prison.
When a young secretary named Eileen vanishes, the woman's boss hires Quinn to track her down. What looks like a missing-person case turns out to be anything but, sucking into its wake Vincent, his demented father, Eileen's barely legitimate boss, her sexually vulnerable mother, a serial rapist and possible serial killer, and, of course, Quinn herself. Quinn's improvised investigation takes her to the dangerous dark corners of the human psyche and casts suspicion where she least expects it, which will ignite a burst of violence and a resolution that readers won't see coming.
"This book will delight anyone who has ever feared that the private detective novel has no new tricks--or voices--up its sleeve." --Laura Lippman, author of What the Dead Know "Anne Argula brings a welcome voice to the noir novel with Quinn, who is earthy, gritty, but above all, a mature woman. We don't have enough of those." --Sara Paretsky, author of Fire Sale
"A terrific, suspenseful tale of murder, driven by interesting and quirky characters, leavened by edgy self-deprecating humor, and resolved by a surprising twist." --Joseph Wambaugh, author of Hollywood Station
"A wonderful novel--smart, funny, and remarkably humane." --James Crumley, author of The Right Madness
"Anne Argula's menopausal detective will give mystery fans multiple hot flashes of horror, humor, and surprise." --Tom Robbins, author of Villa Incognito
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The plot starts off as a simple missing person's case. Eileen, one of Arnie's Angels, goes missing, and Arnie hires Quinn, a fledgling private investigator, to track her down. But when Eileen turns up dead, the narrative really gets cooking, and the whole book morphs into a rather thoughtful and funny--funny ha-ha and funny sad--commentary on crime and punishment, capital punishment in particular. The only real "action" takes place in the last ten pages of the novel, so if you crave a lot of car chases and fistfights and gun play this isn't the book for you. However, there are two other factors that make this book more than worthy of a read.
Quinn, a newly-divorced ex-cop struggling to establish herself as a PI, is half of what makes Walla Walla Suite so enjoyable, so fresh. Tougher than a two-dollar steak, and every bit as sardonic as James Crumley's C.W. Sughrue, she is, by her own admission, a second or even third-rate investigator. But, ironically, this is also part of what I think makes her so dynamic as a character: she is real. Many detective characters are simply too heroic, too perfect, and Quinn is severely flawed, but in a good way. She is both sarcastic and self-effacing; she is indifferent and persistent, competent and bumbling. Not to mention she has some fantastically funny one-liners, mostly about hot flashes and the incurable human condition. Plus, in the end, she does manage to save the day, more or less, and the ending in no way feels forced or contrived. Best of all, the (tragic?) ending affects her not a wit, which I appreciate as it is realistic. Face it, many of us just never learn our lesson, no matter what the scenario, no matter what the outcome.
To the other half of what makes this a good novel: the setting. Full disclosure: I tend to fetishize what I consider cool and/or exotic locations, and Seattle, the setting of Walla Walla Suite, falls under that category. The descriptions of the dreary weather, the buildings and streets, the waterfronts: all of it is expertly rendered and adds a satisfying layer to the narrative. It made me want to visit the city, which is a testament to the author's abilities.
Bottom line, I find Quinn to be a welcome addition to the PI genre, and not just because she is a middle-aged woman. But because the character is a living, breathing being, one capable of great comedy and tragedy. Quinn, it seems, has a nose for trouble, and I, for one, would love to be around when she finds it. (